Media Advisory: Hawaii labor unions, community members march to celebrate International Workers’ Day
UNITEHERE! Local 5
Media Advisory for April 27, 2021
Media Contact:
Bryant de Venecia
(808) 546-0024
Hawaii labor unions, community members march to celebrate International Workers’ Day
WHAT: Hundreds of Hawaii labor union members & community march in Kalihi to celebrate International Workers’ Day 2021
WHERE: Kalihi Valley District Park (1911 Kamehameha IV Rd, Honolulu, HI 96819) Click here for full flyer and route map
Hawaii Workers Center will have a full program at 11:00 AM at Towers at Kuhio Park Resource Center (1475 Linapuni St.)
WHEN: Saturday, May 1, 2021, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
WHO: Members of UNITE HERE Local 5, Hawaii Teamsters Local 996, Masons Union of Hawaii Local 1, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1260; Hawaii Workers Center, and community members
WHY: May 1st is recognized as International Workers’ Day in many countries around the world. This year, Hawaii’s unions and community members plan to reclaim and celebrate May 1 for Hawaii’s working people with the message: “We are the community, we are the Union!”
Kalihi has a long history as a haven for diverse working-class families. The neighborhood is also home to many cultural centers, hubs for social services, union halls, and industrial zones. In celebration of workers around the world, we want to recognize the Kalihi community’s contribution to our workforce and to our economy in Hawaii.
It has been a difficult year for Hawaii’s working people. Beyond the grief and loss caused by COVID-19 pandemic, we have faced the worst economic insecurity in recent history. Our state leaders did not step up to fix unemployment and the corporations turned their backs on workers. Nevertheless, our community took care of one another.
As we start the economic recovery, Hawaii’s working people are presented with another set of challenges: securing safety in our workplaces, securing rights to return to work and fighting threats of job cuts. International Workers’ Day is a day of recognition and solidarity—the working class uniting to fight for a better future for Hawaii and the rest of the world.
Local 5 represents approximately 12,000 workers throughout Hawaii who work in the hospitality, health care and food service industries and is an affiliate of UNITE HERE, an international union that represents over 300,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.unitehere5.org.
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